A Word from the Co-Publishers

With this issue we welcome Jill Lundquist as our new calendar editor. A huge hats-off to her swift mastery of this exceptionally challenging job. While quarterly or seasonal calendars are not particularly unusual for individual organizations or institutions, putting together one for an entire region can prove quite the task. Jill seems to have an inborn knack for ferreting through mounds of information and we look forward to utilizing her skills to the fullest as our calendar continues to evolve and adapt in this rapidly-changing digital age.

AboutTown’s observation of the 2012 Red Hook Bicentennial kicks off this issue with an eye-opening article by Town Historian Wint Aldrich with new details about the town’s creation. Thanks to the rediscovery of a long-misplaced file at a recent Bicentennial Committee meeting, we now know the identities of at least three of the “distinguished gentlemen” who in 1812 set into motion the secession of the northern half of Rhinebeck to create a new town. As Wint so elegantly points out, this is a first rate “journalistic scoop—if 200-year-old news can qualify for that honor!” Meanwhile, the planning committee for the Bicentennial is working full time to make the celebrations in the spring and summer an unforgettable season of revelry and renewal. Among those events are a big community day with historical re-enactments, puppets & parade on July 14; a historic house tour, special photographic exhibits, and a new production of Our Town; creation of a bicentennial quilt; a musical at Bard; performance by the West Point Band; and an August dance at the “ox-barn” at Rokeby featuring Jay Unger and Molly Mason.

A closer not-to-miss event is Sinterklaas. The “bi-coastal” part of the celebration—a parade in Kingston with a decorated handmade boat that carries Sinterklaas down the hill in preparation for his tugboat crossing of the Hudson, with arrival in Rhinecliff and march through the hamlet—was already held on Thanksgiving weekend. The all-day festival gears up for full swing on Saturday, December 3. Dozens of volunteers have been working in recent weeks with master puppeteers Sophia Michahelles and Alex Kahn on a variety of projects to repair familiar puppets and to create new themed puppets around this year’s honored animal, the Crow. And there are lots of opportunities to get involved in the celebration, even at the very last moment: the 5pm line-up for the parade at the Starr Library Parking lot. Arrive early (it’s first come, first served) to carry a puppet, banner, or flag. More information is in our calendar, or go to sinterklaasrhinebeck.com.

We have been following the Adventures in BBQ blog by local father and daughter team Molly Lundquist-Baz and Doug Baz. They set off in a southerly direction on a three week road trip in search of barbeque enlightenment. It is a quirkily written and photographed account of their adventures and observations of BBQ establishments and different cultures along the way. Check it out at adventuresinbbq.tumblr.com.

Meanwhile, our seasonal message this issue is simple: Have a happy, healthy, and peaceful holiday season!

—Gail & Paul